1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to material handling conveying lines, and more particularly to can attitude re-orientation devices on the material handling conveying line.
2. Background of the Invention
Automatic canning operations have long employed the assembly line technique, wherein cans are conveyed along a conveyor belt or along a conveyor line in a continuous stream. The cans are filled, most often by automatic means at various stations along the line. At subsequent stations along the line, the can is sealed with a lid, frequently in a chamber having some vacuum so that the contents will be vacuum packed. The containers frequently are made of metal, but can be made of paper, paper treated with other substances such as wax or the like, plastic and similar type containing material.
After the container has been packed with ingredients, it is often desirable to affix to the container some kind of label. It is often desirable that the article, especially cylindrical articles, be turned onto its cylindrical side wall, and further conveyed possibly in a rolling motion. At another station along the cannery conveying line, a label is affixed to the side of the container. Frequently, the label may be a sheet of paper rolled onto the side wall of the cylindrical can, and affixed to the side with glue or other suitable means.
Moreover, it has been found easy to pack in large shipping crates and boxes cans from a conveyor line, where the cans are being conveyed to the crate in a horizontal position as where the can has been turned on its cylindrical side wall. Thus, it is often desired to change the orientation or attitude of the can from a vertical attitude to a horizontal attitude as the cans are conveyed in a continuous stream along a line in the cannery.
Simple devices and apparatuses for such cylindrical article re-orientation have been known in the past. For a representative example, note Van der Winden, U.S. Pat. No. 3,197,013. In such known devices, rods or conveyor side walls are configured in a channel to turn and to re-orient the can as it progresses along the line. In conventional channels, the rods or side walls are normally designed to have a close fit with the article passing therethrough being re-oriented. Oftentimes, one article in the line of articles becomes slightly disoriented relative to the channel and becomes stuck.
It is desired in many applications to have an article reorientation channel or framework so that slightly disoriented articles can pass therethrough yet exit therefrom in the desired attitude or orientation. It is also sought to obtain such an article re-orientation framework which is yet simpler, thus less expensive and more free from possibility of entanglement.